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Assignment 1

Submitted By Abdul Ahad 2008-2-10-211 Bachelor of Business Administration

Submitted To B.P. Barua, Ph.D Course Instructor Gen-206

Date of Submission: 4th July, 2011

Mustang: Hidden World Beyond The Himalaya In todays world, where modern civilization is ubiquitous, Mustang, a remote place in Nepal has people who live with peace and happiness without the blessings of modern science. Nepal is a country of numerous natural beauties and ancient tribes. Yet, Mustang and its people have their distinct socio-cultural lifestyle that is being carefully and sincerely preserved by the inhabitants of Mustang. Mustang which means fertile plain was formerly a part of the former kingdom of Lo and now is a part of Nepal has a history of 600 years. In all these years, people from Mustang lived, fought and survived in all the adversaries caused by the nature. The people of Mustang live in a closed society. They have their own rituals, rites, creed and festivals that are being carried out by the many generations of this tribe. Like any other place of Nepal, Mustang is also an attractive place for the tourists. As a result, despite being a closed society, inhabitants from Mustang are cordial and hospitable towards the tourists. Geographically, Mustang is surrounded by bare hills and steep mountains. The people of Mustang speak in Tibetan language and Buddhism is their main religion. Despite following Buddhism, they have their own festivals, rituals and rites that they celebrate across the four seasons in one year. Inhabitants of Mustang have a strong and distinct culture. It is a men- led society but women by no means do only household chores. They are involved with a variety of works that they do for living and surviving. The economy of Mustang is largely dependent on agriculture. Tourism is flourishing there but still rearing livestock and harvesting crops are their main professions. People of Mustang harvest a variety of crops round the year. From spring to autumn, they remain involved with various types of harvesting. However they also love to do gardening. Mustang is called the capital of apples. A huge number of apples are being produced in every autumn in Mustang. Also,

a fruit called Tora is being produced in Mustang which produces juice. This juice is reputed for curing major diseases for example liver diseases etc. In addition, they also rear livestock like Yak, a rare breed of cow that they use for various purposes. Fur and skin of Yak are used for clothes. Yak is also used for pulling the plough tool that is used during the initial soil cultivation. Since they are deprived of any modern technology, Yak does the job of a tractor on a farm. Moreover, Yak and ass are used for carrying goods and crops. Asses are also reared by the inhabitants to use them as a mean of transportation. Mustang people are very religious. They have a number of festivals that are being celebrated across the year to fend off the impacts of evil and bring the divine peace from God. One of the prominent places in Mustang is Muktinath Temple . This is a holy place for both Hindu pilgrims and Buddhists. In this temple, there are 108 tapes and there is a belief among the Mustang people that by taking shower in the water of that tapes tube, one can redeem himself from all types of sins. In addition, Mustang has a lot of monasteries that were built many years ago. People of Mustang visit these monasteries very often and during the festivals they perform a variety of rituals in these monasteries. There are also Chhekangs or prayer rooms in those monasteries that are very artistic and historically enriched. Hymn scripted Mhaldaang and Chortori are also found in numbers. In Mustang, one can see a lot of long sticks being planted across the region at high altitudes that are known as Darchhoks which actually wish good health, long life of people and prosperity.

Talking about the lifestyle of Mustang it is necessary to talk about the climate they live under. In 365 days, they experience four distinct seasons named Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. In winter, heavy snow fall occurs very often and most of the times, people of Mustang stay in their house during the snowfall. However, this adverse style of nature cant deter the hardworking people of Mustang to

do their jobs. Even though they do not involve in heavy works yet they produce Khurparani oil Ktik etc during this time. One of the major festivals that are being celebrated at the time of winter is Lashar which is locally called Chhongo-is celebrated on the eve of new year. Foods like Khora and khajpi are prepared for the occasion. They spend the day by feeding and taking blessings from the seniors, playing interactive games and chattering. At the end of the day, they bid farewell to Chongo by performing a ritual to eradicate the evil. Spring comes with a bunch of festival. Festivals like Dhayjang and Tharpe Tharchang etc are being celebrated during the spring. In Tharpe Tharchang they take the blessings for the citizens and arrange special programs to entertain them. These festivals actually show how respectful the Mustang people are towards their senior inhabitants. They revere them from the bottom of their hearts and place them in high standards. They also take the chance of showing it to the children of how should treat their senior people in the future. In Summer they celebrate Yarlong which bid good wish for good harvest and crops. During this time they also arrange Bhadau Fair which is probably the most eagerly anticipated event for the Mustang people. In this fair, humorous acts, horse racing and Lama blessing take place. All these festivals take place in Mustang across the entire year. These festivals bear a great significance for the people of Mustang. Their life, culture and religion are heavily involved with these festivals. In addition, they perform many rites and rituals during the festivals which they like to think as prayers to God. However even though modern education does not prevail there but what can be inferred from this lifestyle is that the people from Mustang have high morals and a good ethical standard. They have a completely separate occasion only for old people and they also know how to respect them. Moreover, it is very hard to see any sort of exploitation or discrimination in terms of gender and caste in the society of Mustang. Women happily get themselves involved in harvesting

with men during Spring time. Even though, there is a great amount of reverence for the priests in monasteries, other than that very low amount of social stratification is seen in the society of Mustang. Mustang and its people have a culture of hundred years. They know how to preserve it. They know how to run it. Even though they live in an area where nature can cause all sorts of adversary yet they adore it. Their perception about God, nature and other surroundings has been unchanged for a long time. Even though they do not possess the light of education and technology yet they live with high moral values and ethics which are entirely based upon their religious beliefs. By following the footsteps of their predecessors and by pairing them with utmost belief, people from Mustang have a nearly flawless society that suits best to them.

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